Short answers
What is the difference between shared traffic and device rental?
Shared traffic gives an organisation one GB balance usable on the mobile and residential pools. Device rental is a separate purchase of a reserved mobile-device port for its stated term, using the delivered device connection details.
Does a sticky traffic session reserve a mobile device?
No. A sticky session is a routing choice within shared traffic. It does not turn that GB purchase into a device rental or establish a fixed public IP. Use the separate device catalogue if a reserved mobile-device port is the requirement.
Which option costs less for my workload?
Estimate the workload’s GB and price that amount at the current traffic tiers. Separately check an available rental’s total, term and conditions. Compare only options that meet the job requirements; a cheaper figure for an unsuitable buying unit is not a useful saving.
Can I reuse the same connection string for both products?
Do not assume so. Shared traffic uses its traffic connection builder and credential. A rented device uses the delivered endpoint and protocol-specific login. Copy the appropriate details from the owned product rather than changing a traffic username to imitate a rental.
Compare what each purchase gives you
| Question | Traffic by GB | Device rental |
|---|---|---|
| What is purchased? | A traffic allowance for shared mobile and residential pools | A reserved mobile-device port for a listed term |
| What drives the displayed price? | The amount of GB in one order and its current tier | The selected device listing and rental term |
| Where are connection details found? | The traffic connection builder | The delivered device details |
| Which availability matters? | Current pool and country stock for the requested routing | Current availability of the particular rental offer |
| What must be planned? | Transferred traffic, retries and remaining GB | Term, connection conditions and any stated usage conditions |
| What is not established? | A reserved device or fixed IP | A fixed public IP or an unstated performance guarantee |
Portproof’s shared traffic balance works across mobile proxies and residential proxies. Country, pool and session choices belong to the traffic connection configuration. The separate dedicated mobile-device catalogue shows rental offers when they are available. The dedicated description belongs to that rental product.
Write the workload before choosing the product
Start with an authorised job, such as checking your own regional storefront or monitoring permitted product pages. List the destination, required country, expected traffic, how long the job runs and whether a reserved device is actually required. Include operational constraints such as an approved request rate and the time someone can respond to a failure.
| Field | Example input | Decision it informs |
|---|---|---|
| Task | Check the team’s own regional storefront | Permitted use and expected result |
| Route | A country offered by the current catalogue | Pool stock or matching rental availability |
| Traffic estimate | 2 GB for the complete test, including repeats | Price the whole traffic order |
| Working period | Two scheduled test days | Find a rental term that covers the real period |
| Device requirement | A reserved mobile-device port is required by the test design | A shared traffic session does not meet that requirement |
| Success condition | Expected content is returned with its test assertions | A connection alone is not a successful QA result |
The 2 GB input is fictional and is not a typical consumption rate. Measure a representative permitted run using the traffic-sizing guide or bandwidth calculator. Include extra attempts only when they are not already inside the sample total.
Compare totals that cover the same task
For traffic, use the total for the quantity you intend to buy, rather than multiplying a headline rate from a different order tier. For rental, use the selected listing’s full amount for a term that covers the work. Read any usage conditions independently; a time-based price does not by itself establish unlimited traffic.
| Assumed option | Assumed inputs | Arithmetic |
|---|---|---|
| Shared traffic | 2 GB at EUR 4 per GB | 2 × EUR 4 = EUR 8 |
| Device rental | A suitable listed term at EUR 12 | One term = EUR 12 |
| Fit check | The task requires a reserved device | The EUR 8 shared option does not meet that requirement |
Replace every example price with the current traffic pricing and the actual rental listing before deciding. Include separately applicable fees or adjustments from the confirmed checkout. No fixed break-even GB amount applies to every country, term or job.
Keep a routing session separate from a reservation
A session name helps maintain routing within shared traffic. It does not sell an exclusive device, and a carrier can change an address even when a route remains associated with the same device. Likewise, reserving a mobile-device port is not a promise that its public address will never change.
Read rotating and sticky sessions for shared-pool behaviour. If a process depends on one public IP for its entire lifetime, establish whether the actual product can satisfy that condition before paying. Do not treat an observed address as a contractual fixed-IP feature.
Use the connection details for the purchased unit
- Confirm the owned product and whether the purchase is shared GB traffic or device rental.
- For traffic, build the connection using the required pool, country, protocol and session options.
- For rental, open the delivered device details and use that endpoint with the matching protocol login.
- Run one bounded permitted check and inspect both the connection result and expected application content.
- Save the product and configuration context privately so later support does not confuse the two buying units.
The connection documentation explains the separate setup paths. Keep credentials out of public logs. A successful test establishes that observation only; it does not promise a speed, country result, address lifetime or acceptance by every destination.
Check availability and the confirmed order
Before buying, recheck the live catalogue, amount, term and any renewal selection shown for the chosen product. An unavailable device is not replaced by buying GB unless the shared product independently meets your requirements. After paying, use the existing order and its delivery status rather than buying again because connection details are not yet visible.
Choose shared proxy traffic when a GB allowance across shared pools fits the job. Review mobile-device rentals when a reserved port and its listed term are the required unit. Keep the measured traffic worksheet for either choice so later comparisons use the same workload.
Scope of this comparison
Product distinctions were checked against Portproof’s current offer specification and customer connection routes on 30 October 2026. All workload and price examples above are fictional arithmetic. No speed benchmark, live gateway test, purchase or rental was performed for this article. Current listings and the confirmed checkout govern actual purchases.
What is not allowed
Use the connection only for work you are authorised to perform, respecting destination rules and the acceptable-use policy.